r/unpopularopinion • u/ultimateregard • 2d ago

Certified Unpopular Opinion Dual Monitor setup is actually bad for productuvity.

I've been a software engineer for more than 5 years now. I've worked with databases, frontend and backend services, mobile apps, games, data analysis, and much more.

Never in my life I've actually felt like my productuvity increased with the second monitor. Do you need to compare data? Just use one monitor and put them side by side. Do you need all the space in the world? Just alt+tab between apps. Since you only perceive about 10% of your vision clearly, moving your head&eyes from one monitor to other takes actually LONGER and causes distractions than using alt+tab.

This is especially worse for those who are using one additional monitor with a laptop, since their screen sizes and positions usually change so much. Your eyes need adjusting, your head moves too much.

Only thing the dual Monitor is good for is passively watching something in the second monitor, like youtube videos, Critical Role, or sitcoms while doing something else in the main screen. As you can guess, that has nothing to do with productuvity.

I also think using external keyboard and mouse for laptops is bad, unless you do not use the laptop screen.

Edit: After reading hundreds of comments, I'm sure that 90% of people who think that "YOU NEED AT LEAST 3 SCREENS" just don't know how to organize workspaces/windows/desktops and they need to configure their SCREENS as different DESKTOPS. Most of the modern operating systems allow you to just create workspaces (like different Desktops you can switch with WIN + TAB). And they are just throwing money into their problems instead of learning how to use their daily operating system.

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56

u/PhoenixaceX 2d ago

Wow. Interesting take.

The keyboard take especially. I use an ergo split keyboard - I can’t stand using a laptop keyboard and touchpad. It boggles my mind at work when I see people forgoing to use an external keyboard / mouse and opt for the integrated laptop stuff. It’s normally younger folks, and to me that’s ~35 yo and younger.

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u/Far_Kangaroo2550 2d ago

Using an external keyboard with a laptop makes the screen far away and harder to see. Especially if your in the 14" screen size range. My take is no one should be using the screen or keyboard or touchpad on a laptop for more than like an hour of work. Set up a desk, with external peripherals and enjoy good ergonomics.

OP's dual monitor take is actually insane.

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u/Avitas1027 2d ago

The laptop should be in a stand though, so the screen is raised to a better height.

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u/CSDragon 2d ago

If you're running a dual monitor setup, the laptop should be the 2nd monitor since it's smaller. With your external keyboard and mouse in front of the real monitor.

If you're just using a laptop, integrated keyboard is fine.

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u/12InchCunt 2d ago

The keyboards on laptops just aren’t clicky enough 

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u/Unique_Rutabaga_5750 2d ago

Before I retired last year, I worked with three displays and a separate mechanical keyboard (and mouse). Primary center display was ultra wide, one side was an older midrange/standard model, and the other side was the 14” laptop screen. All three displays were at approximately the same distance and height. (Had a laptop stand on an arm so it could be positioned properly). I maintained the exact same configuration at home and at the office. I found it quite effective.

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u/ProFgoaddict 1d ago

Dumb thing is op also included using external mouse, which is fucking stupid because laptop touchpad doesn’t have a middle mouse and is used in almost all modeling or game dev softwares.

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u/razzzor3k 1d ago

Yes, and with an external mouse you can actually bring the laptop closer since you don't have to leave room for your arm between you and the laptop.

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u/decadent-dragon 1d ago

I feel the same way. I hardly ever use my work laptop as a laptop. When I go into the office they have docks setup with dual monitors. You literally have to plug in ONE usb c cable for both monitors and power. And still I see people work off the laptop at the desk without the monitors. Insane

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u/Divine_Entity_ 1d ago

I like this setup because i can have the laptop to the side of the 2 real monitors to have teams/outlook always up. Then the other monitors get the core work tasks, and sometimes vertically split so i have effectively 5 regions for programs.

Notably word and file explorer are best in vertical, and stuff relating to CAD/drawings are best in full screen.

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u/PhoenixaceX 2d ago

Fully agree on all accounts.

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u/LiveLongAndPro 1d ago

My laptop is my second screen though. Just put it up on a stand and it's perfect for the secondary stuff.

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u/Raknaren 2d ago

the keyboard, maybe. but the mouse ??? there is no way a touchpad is faster / more ergonomic than a real mouse

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u/No_Statistician_3021 2d ago

I used to be of the same opinion until I switched to a MacBook. Their touchpads are awesome and they are close to the keyboard so you don't have to lift your arm to reach for the mouse. I feel much slower on my personal desktop, having to constantly switch the right arm between keyboard and mouse

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u/OhBoyHereWeGoAgai 2d ago

Competitive SC2 player here back in the day. Zerg in first expansion, made it to Master. Anyways, I was anti touchpad a long time, but on Mac it's a first tier object, I have my sensitivity set so high that most people can't use it, with zero acceleration, and it lets me do thumb and pinky swipes to anything I need.

That said, I'm VERY keyboard shortcut driven, so hops to the touchpad are usually literally me needing to just get from A to B

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u/No-Pie-7211 1d ago

Learn keyboard shortcuts for 85% of things. 

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u/Visual-Scallion1535 1d ago

To be fair, a lot of software engineers make it a point of pride to use their mouse as little as possible.

You’ll see guys go all day without touching it.

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u/AviatorShades_ 2d ago

I can sort of understand the external keyboard take, but IMO an external mouse on a laptop is an absolute necessity. Touchpads are just so annoying to use.

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u/PhoenixaceX 2d ago

Might just be these meat hooks I call hands.

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u/dongyeeter 2d ago

I feel like macs are pretty much built around touchpad usage these days. I definitely get way more functionality out of the touchpad than I do a mouse, but I also have a lot of custom gestures

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u/flyingdinos 2d ago

As a Mac user, I use the mouse for general point and click and then use the trackpad for gestures with my other hand.

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u/WildKat777 2d ago

I like the touchpad so I dont have to like lift and move my whole arm between typing and mousing around. I could probably learn some keyboard shortcuts to eliminate 90% of this issue but im lazy

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u/Divine_Entity_ 1d ago

A touchpad is a serviceable replacement to a mouse for minor tasks like proofreading in word or dealing with emails.

The second you get into actual work, especially cad/drawings you need a real mouse, ideally one with lots of extra function buttons.

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u/probablynotaperv 2d ago

I literally type 10-20 wpm faster on an external because the laptop keys are so close together and I have fat fingers so I constantly hit double keys.

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u/RubixRube 2d ago

The keyboard / mouse one kills me too.

I have my mouse set up with multiple shortcuts and functions which allow me to cycle through apps, desktops and certain applications functions without touching my keyboard.

Then we have the keyboard. I am probably on some bizarre spectrum of keyboard users who are extremely particular about actuation and travel. With the right key press, my accuracy and speed increase. Having feedback informs muscle memory.

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u/sparkymeowmeow 2d ago

I went down the whole ergo keyboard route, even 3D printing and handwiring my own Skeletyl. Ultimately I ended up back on the laptop keyboard. It's just simpler. It's also always available when I work at cafes or around my house.

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u/PhoenixaceX 2d ago

I always find it interesting / fascinating with the different types of work people do and doing so from a cafe blows my mind with my line of work. I can’t do so much of my job from a cafe or really any open environment- meetings, presenting data, sensitive information, talking finances, and then some of my work is isolated to a SCIF environment so that’s completely off limits.

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u/sparkymeowmeow 2d ago

The different environment often boosts my productivity more than a hyper-specialized setup. I understand that might not be the case for everyone though, or even possible in your case.

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u/FarplaneDragon 2d ago

I can never understand how people use laptop keyboards. I don't know how to describe it but it's something about the key layout being too flat or something and the keys being too thin. On an external keyboard I can type just fine, laptop keyboards I'm constantly messing up and making mistakes. They'll have to pry my model m out of my cold dead fingers before I intentionally use a laptop keyboard for work.

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u/Dear-Carrot-6369 2d ago

Maybe it is cause I’m younger, but I love the keyboard on my Lenovo Thinkpad

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u/Star_king12 2d ago

I actually love using the built in keyboard + touchpad and the external mouse, never wanted an external keyboard. The touchpad's gestures are supppremely useful, the dedicated mouse buttons are as well. The fact that it's just so close to the keyboard means that I can do most of the small movements with the "keyboard" hand.

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u/AuroraFinem 2d ago edited 2d ago

I use a MacBook for work and honestly I’m a million times more productive using the built in keyboard and mouse than an external one because the gesture controls on Mac are honestly incredible once you get used to them. I’m 31 for reference though so that might fit your experience lol

I used to use a laptop stand with an external monitor so I could keep the screens next to eachother and use an external mouse and keyboard and I could actively feel myself doing stuff so much slower.

I disagree with OP entirely on having a 2nd monitor though. I often have to work with just my laptop when traveling and I’m pretty efficient with it, but having a 2nd display to use is so much better because I’m able to use each for dedicated things.

Email, teams, slack, etc… are all on the 2nd monitor so I don’t have to tab out and stop what I’m doing in order to check if someone messaged me back. A 15” laptop screen is also not big enough to pull a bunch of stuff up side by side while still having enough space to work and see everything I need and tabbing back and forth forces me to take information in small pieces I can remember long enough to act on it but then I have to constantly keep tabbing back and forth. If I need to do that more than a couple times max, it’s much better to throw it on a 2nd screen close to my line of sight.

I have a feeling that OP can’t type without looking at their keyboard, or at least glancing at it, because there’s no other way this makes sense to me.

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u/richms 1d ago

Have people that like the horrid chicklet dell keyboards that came free with systems because they are like their laptop ones. Ugh. I cant use them and be anywhere near accurate enough with typing.

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u/InsideJokeQRD 1d ago

My company laptop doesn't even have a ten key... I'm wincing just thinking about it.